


Day 4: Human Shield

by evilwriter37



Series: Whumptober 2019 [4]
Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Heather!whump, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 14:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20893913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: Heather jumps in front of a crossbow bolt meant for Astrid.





	Day 4: Human Shield

There was a crossbow pointed at Astrid. Heather didn’t want that. Hel, Heather would take it pointing at her instead of Astrid, but this Hunter was using Astrid to get to Hiccup. That was the danger of dating the leader of the Dragon Riders. But, what this Hunter didn’t know, was that he was also getting to her.

He pulled the trigger.

Heather was moving right when she heard it click. She couldn’t see it in the night, but the sound had been audible. She shoved Astrid out of the way and to the deck of the ship. Pain like nothing she’d ever felt exploded into her stomach. She looked down, hands going towards the wound, framing it, fingers shaking. There was a crossbow bolt sticking out of her abdomen, blood spreading out onto her leather armor that had done almost nothing to slow the bolt down.

“No!” The scream came from Astrid. She ran towards the Hunter as he reloaded his crossbow. He wasn’t fast enough and took Astrid’s axe right to his chest. All there was was a grunt, and then Astrid pulling out her axe in a spray of blood. Heather just stood there, stunned. Blood. There was so much blood.

“Heather!” Astrid ran over to her, took her by the shoulder and waist, helped her down to the deck of the ship. “Y-you didn’t have to take that for me!”

“But Hiccup would lose without you.” Heather’s voice was weak, but calm. She had been so sure of herself, still was. Was she dying? She didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. At least Astrid didn’t have a crossbow bolt sticking out of her gut. “He would lose, and then so would so many others. He needs you.”

Astrid shook her head angrily, tears spilling down her cheeks. “But  _ I  _ need  _ you! _ ” she cried. She looked down towards the wound, briefly touched around it, her fingers becoming stained with blood. “Okay, okay, we can’t pull it out,” she said. “You’d just bleed more.”

Heather knew she was right, but good gods did it hurt having this in her. She shut her eyes.

“Heather! Hey, don’t give up on me!” 

There was a sharp slap to her face, and Heather opened her eyes again, meeting Astrid’s fierce ones. 

“I’m going to get you back to Berk,” Astrid told her. “To Gothi. She’ll heal you. She’ll fix you. You’ll make it through. I promise.”

“Just glad it’s not you,” Heather said, and then she slipped into unconsciousness. Or maybe it was death.

  
  


Astrid paced outside of Gothi’s hut. She’d sent Terror Mail to the Edge to explain what had happened after she’d been sent outside, but now she had nothing to do but worry. She never bit her nails, but now she’d bitten a few of them down to the nub out of worry.

Heather had taken a crossbow bolt for her, and now she was unconscious in Gothi’s hut, most likely undergoing surgery. Would she survive? Gods, she had to. She absolutely had to.

Astrid had meant what she said when she’d told Heather that she needed her. She didn’t just love Hiccup romantically — she loved Heather the same way too. She’d talked to Hiccup about it, had told him of this, and he’d given her the freedom to pursue a relationship with Heather while still keeping up theirs. She hadn’t done it yet, too afraid to, afraid that Heather would reject her.

But this was far worse than any rejection. She should have just told her. Now, Heather could be dying without ever knowing how Astrid felt about her.

And maybe Heather did feel the same. The only reason anyone jumped in front of a lethal attack like that was out of love.

Astrid sat down hard.

Love.

Heather loved her. That was the only explanation. She loved her and now she was dying because of it.

It wasn’t very much like her, but Astrid was tired down to the bone and strung out with stress: she put her head in her hands and cried.

  
  


Heather woke slowly, an ache in her abdomen. She was in a bed and the place smelled of herbs and spices. When she opened her eyes, she saw dried herbs hanging from the ceiling along with pendants in all sorts of different shapes. She didn’t know where she was, and fear began to take her, but then she moved her head and saw the woman sitting beside her bed, head in her hands.

“Astrid?” Her voice was hoarse from lack of use and the need for water.

Astrid’s head shot up, a smile instantly spreading her lips and showing her teeth, her eyes going wide.

“Heather!” She made to hug her, but then stopped, remembering the wound in her stomach. She just put her hand on her shoulder, clutching tightly. “Oh my gods, you’re okay! I-I was afraid you’d never wake up again. Gothi said that even after, you might… you might…” She shook her head, tears in her eyes, clearly unable to get the word out, and she didn’t have to. 

“I’m on Berk?” Heather asked.

Astrid nodded. “I had to bring you here. Gothi is the only one who could have helped you.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Heather asked. She didn’t want to see them at the moment, just wanted to see Astrid, but she was curious.

“They flew here as soon as they got my Terror Mail,” Astrid said. She stood. “I could go get them if you want.”

Heather took her hand. “No, no. I just want you.”

Astrid sat down again. Her expression grew solemn and serious.

“Heather, you didn’t have to do that for me.”

“I did,” Heather told her, squeezing her hand. “Hiccup would have lost it if you had died.” And, that wasn’t the only reason. She found herself intertwining her fingers with Astrid. “So would I.”

Astrid shook her head. “And you don’t think your death wouldn’t have hurt me the same way?”

Heather took Astrid’s hand, put it over her heart. Her wound was still throbbing, and she most likely needed medicine for it, but right now, she could just focus on Astrid.

“But I’m  _ okay _ , Astrid.”

“Yeah?” Astrid pulled her hand away, leaving Heather feeling hurt. “But you almost weren’t. That was so stupid of you!”

“It wasn’t stupid!” Heather tried to sit up, but pain flared through her, and she flopped back down. “Astrid, please don’t be angry with me.” Maybe now was the time to tell her the real reason why she’d done it. “I did it because I love you.”

“I know that.” Astrid wiped her eyes with the back of one hand. “I-I know. No one does that for any other reason.”

“Then what… what do you feel for me?” Heather had been in battle, had done very many scary things in her life, but she’d never been this frightened before. What if Astrid rejected her? What if she didn’t feel the same way? “I know you’re with Hiccup, and it’s selfish of me to say this, but—”

“I love you too,” Astrid interrupted, words rushing from her mouth. She took a deep breath. “I love you too,” she said again, as if it hadn’t been clear the first time.

They were quiet. The salty breeze came through one of the windows, making the pendants click together and the strung-up herbs swish.

“And I’m glad you’re okay,” Astrid told her. She took the hand that she’d pulled away from, leaving their fingers intertwined over Heather’s heart. She leaned down and kissed her, and Heather figured that she couldn’t have been happier to have taken a crossbow bolt in her life.


End file.
